The day the child was born, the skies over Elyria were clear and blue. No omens, no storms. Just silence and sun.
Inside the palace, Queen Selene gave birth without tears or screams—only focus, only strength. Hours passed like years, and finally, a small cry pierced the air.
"It's a girl," the midwife whispered.
Selene, soaked in sweat, opened her eyes slowly. She reached out, took her daughter in her arms, and smiled—not because of what the child meant to the city, but because of what the child was:
Hers.
But outside the palace walls, the news did not bring joy.
"A girl?" someone muttered in the marketplace.
"After all that… no heir?"
In the council chamber, Lord Carven slammed a scroll onto the table. "The city expected a prince! A future king! We cannot let this stand."
And in the royal chambers, King Darian stood in the doorway, saying nothing.
Selene looked up at him from her bed, her newborn resting quietly in her arms. "Come see her."
He took one step forward, then stopped. "She is not what Elyria needed."
"She's what Elyria deserves."
He turned and walked away.
The queen named her daughter Lyra—after the constellation of the warrior queen who, in legend, held back a thousand armies with nothing but a bow and her will.
Selene raised her alone in the palace gardens, among scrolls and blades, not lullabies and songs. She taught Lyra how to read before she could walk, how to hold a dagger before she could ride.
The child was curious, bold, and bright-eyed. Her laughter echoed in the halls like sunlight through stone.
But the nobles whispered.
"She's not a son."
"She's too wild."
"Elyria still has no heir."
And Lady Miranna, always watching, let the rumors grow. She sent anonymous letters to the council. "The queen has failed," they read. "It is time to find a second wife. One who will give the king a true heir."
Selene saw it all coming.
She sat alone one evening in the war room, maps spread before her, her daughter asleep beside her. The fire burned low, casting long shadows.
"They will try to replace me," she said softly.
The captain of her guard, a loyal friend, frowned. "What will you do?"
Selene looked down at her daughter, then back at the flames.
"I'll let them try."